SIDE BY SIDE · FACTS ONLY

Qualys vs runZero: asset inventory facts side by side

SHORT ANSWER

Qualys describes 4 of the five approaches on the pages we read and runZero describes 3; they differ on CAASM aggregation, Agent-based inventory, External attack surface management and Exposure management. On collection, Qualys relies on its own agent and runZero works without new agents. Many estates run two of these approaches together, so the question is often which pair, not which one; we do not score either.

By The Inventory Desk · CAASM Finder · Published 2026-10-11

Desk research from public vendor pages read on 27 September and 11 October 2026. Profiles follow our published method; we did not run the products.

How do their approaches compare?

Top bar: Qualys CSAM
Lower bar, lighter: runZero

Full bar: described on the vendor's pages we read
Hatched bar: described with a condition (another product, a higher tier, or part of the approach)
Stub: not in our sources (it may exist; we did not find it)

The bars show what each vendor's own pages describe, or how your answers weigh the five approaches. They are not a measure of how well a product works.

What are the facts, side by side?

From each vendor's own pages. Differs marks rows where the recorded status or check value differs.
Fact	Qualys CSAM	runZero
Positioning	Qualys's Cybersecurity Asset Management product, which Qualys describes as one platform and one view of cyber risk for unknown assets across the attack surface.	An asset discovery platform that runZero describes as CAASM: active scanning, passive discovery for fragile OT networks and integrations, with each asset profiled against nearly 1,000 attributes.
Deployment	Uses the Qualys agent, which can also act as a passive sensor; deployment options are not detailed on the page we read. Source: Qualys Cybersecurity Asset Management · Read 11 Oct 2026	SaaS or on-premises, including air-gapped environments; no agents, authentication or appliances required. Source: runZero platform · Read 27 Sep 2026
CAASM aggregationDiffers	Not in our sources Not described on the pages we read.	Described Describes itself as CAASM: integrations with ServiceNow, CrowdStrike, Intune, AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Entra ID, Tenable, Rapid7, Qualys and others combine with its own scan data. Source: runZero integrations · Read 27 Sep 2026
Agent-based inventoryDiffers	Described Collects through the Qualys agent, which can also act as a passive sensor. Source: Qualys Cybersecurity Asset Management · Read 11 Oct 2026	With a condition Collects its own data by active scanning and passive discovery, without agents. Source: runZero platform · Read 27 Sep 2026
External attack surface managementDiffers	With a condition The product page links to Qualys EASM; we did not read that page. Source: Qualys Cybersecurity Asset Management · Read 11 Oct 2026	Not in our sources Not described on the pages we read.
CMDB-centred inventory	With a condition Syncs with ServiceNow and BMC ITSM tools rather than acting as a CMDB. Source: Qualys Cybersecurity Asset Management · Read 11 Oct 2026	With a condition Enriches a ServiceNow CMDB rather than acting as one. Source: runZero integrations · Read 27 Sep 2026
Exposure managementDiffers	With a condition Describes one platform and one view of cyber risk; the detail is not on the page we read. Source: Qualys Cybersecurity Asset Management · Read 11 Oct 2026	Not in our sources Not described on the pages we read.
Servers and network devicesDiffers	Not in our sources	Matches Active scanning of IT, OT, IoT, cloud, mobile and remote assets. Source: runZero platform · Read 27 Sep 2026
Cloud workloadsDiffers	Not in our sources	Matches Cloud assets, with AWS, Azure and Google Cloud integrations. Source: runZero integrations · Read 27 Sep 2026
SaaS applications	Not in our sources	Not in our sources
Identities as assetsDiffers	Not in our sources	Partly Entra ID is a listed integration; identities are not described as an asset class. Source: runZero integrations · Read 27 Sep 2026
Off-network laptopsDiffers	Not in our sources	Matches Remote assets are a listed class. Source: runZero platform · Read 27 Sep 2026
OT and IoT devicesDiffers	Not in our sources	Matches Passive discovery for OT. Source: runZero platform · Read 27 Sep 2026
Internet-facing discoveryDiffers	Partly Qualys EASM is linked from the product page; not read. Source: Qualys Cybersecurity Asset Management · Read 11 Oct 2026	Not in our sources
Offers its own agentDiffers	Matches Qualys agent, usable as a passive sensor. Source: Qualys Cybersecurity Asset Management · Read 11 Oct 2026	Not in our sources
Works without new agentsDiffers	Not in our sources	Matches No agents, authentication or appliances. Source: runZero platform · Read 27 Sep 2026
Merges records from several sourcesDiffers	Not in our sources	Matches Profiles each asset against nearly 1,000 attributes. Source: runZero homepage · Read 27 Sep 2026
Feeds or updates a CMDB	Matches Syncs with ServiceNow and BMC ITSM tools. Source: Qualys Cybersecurity Asset Management · Read 11 Oct 2026	Matches ServiceNow integration for CMDB enrichment. Source: runZero integrations · Read 27 Sep 2026
Cross-source queries and reportsDiffers	Not in our sources	Partly AI-assisted reporting on the Platform plan. Source: runZero pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026
Workflows, tickets or actions	Not in our sources	Not in our sources
Price or pricing basis publishedDiffers	Not in our sources	Matches Community Edition free for 100 or fewer assets; runZero Platform starts at $5,000. Source: runZero pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026
Free tier or trial	Matches Free trial offered. Source: Qualys Cybersecurity Asset Management · Read 11 Oct 2026	Matches Free, full-featured 21-day trial. Source: runZero pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026
Platform it is part of	None	None
Integrations	ServiceNow and BMC ITSM sync; other integrations are not listed on the page we read. Source: Qualys Cybersecurity Asset Management · Read 11 Oct 2026	ServiceNow, CrowdStrike, Intune, AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Entra ID, Tenable, Rapid7, Qualys, VMware, Wiz, SentinelOne, Tanium and Splunk, plus a custom integration SDK. Source: runZero integrations · Read 27 Sep 2026
Price	Not published Not published. A free trial is offered. Source: Qualys Cybersecurity Asset Management · Read 11 Oct 2026	Published: Community Edition free for 100 or fewer assets with 30-day retention; runZero Platform starts at $5,000 with 3-year retention; free 21-day trial. Source: runZero pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026

Where do they differ?

CAASM aggregation: Qualys is not in our sources; runZero describes it.
Agent-based inventory: Qualys describes it; runZero describes it with a condition.
External attack surface management: Qualys describes it with a condition; runZero is not in our sources.
Exposure management: Qualys describes it with a condition; runZero is not in our sources.
Servers and network devices: Qualys is not in our sources; runZero matches.
Cloud workloads: Qualys is not in our sources; runZero matches.
Identities as assets: Qualys is not in our sources; runZero partly matches.
Off-network laptops: Qualys is not in our sources; runZero matches.
OT and IoT devices: Qualys is not in our sources; runZero matches.
Internet-facing discovery: Qualys partly matches; runZero is not in our sources.
Offers its own agent: Qualys matches; runZero is not in our sources.
Works without new agents: Qualys is not in our sources; runZero matches.
Merges records from several sources: Qualys is not in our sources; runZero matches.
Cross-source queries and reports: Qualys is not in our sources; runZero partly matches.
Price or pricing basis published: Qualys is not in our sources; runZero matches.

Can they work together?

Yes, on the pages we read:

ServiceNow, CrowdStrike, Intune, AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Entra ID, Tenable, Rapid7, Qualys, VMware, Wiz, SentinelOne, Tanium and Splunk, plus a custom integration SDK.
Source: runZero integrations · Read 27 Sep 2026

Choose Qualys if

You already run the Qualys agent and want asset management from the same data
You need sync with ServiceNow or BMC

Choose runZero if

You need to find unmanaged devices on the network, including OT, without agents
You want a published price and a free tier to start

Which limits should you check?

Qualys

No price published.
Which third-party sources it reads, and its SaaS, identity and OT coverage, are not described on the page we read.

runZero

SaaS applications are not covered on the pages we read.
No workflow or enforcement actions of its own are described; action happens in ServiceNow or other tools.
Ownership changed in September 2026 (Dragos acquisition); roadmap effects are not yet published.

Put Qualys and runZero in the asset census with others Run the finder

Questions people ask

Is Qualys or runZero better?

Neither is scored on this site. Qualys describes 4 of five approaches and runZero 3 on the pages we read, and they differ on 15 recorded facts. Which fits depends on where your assets live, whether you can install agents, your CMDB and your tools; the finder checks those.

Do Qualys and runZero work with a CMDB?

Qualys: Matches. Syncs with ServiceNow and BMC ITSM tools. runZero: Matches. ServiceNow integration for CMDB enrichment.

Do Qualys or runZero publish prices?

Qualys: Not published. A free trial is offered. runZero: Published: Community Edition free for 100 or fewer assets with 30-day retention; runZero Platform starts at $5,000 with 3-year retention; free 21-day trial.